Bayelsa LG polls: Insecurity mars election

Bayelsa State Independent Electoral Commission, BYSIEC, said that the local government elections, earlier slated for February 10, have been postponed indefinitely, due to insecurity.
Although no new date has been fixed, but the Commission maintained that the political security and financial realities in the state make the postponement of the local government elections inevitable.
Chairman of BYSIEC, Blessing Ikpigansi Izagara, who disclosed this in Yenagoa during a meeting with chairmen of political parties in his office, assured that the local government elections will be conducted when the tempo has calmed down and called for understanding and cooperation from stakeholders.
The tenure of the elected local government councils chairmen and councillors will end on April 7.
Izagara said, “People are still aggrieved from the last elections. The major reason why we cannot conduct the election now is because of security challenges; we do not want to lose more lives. Some of the governorship election refugees are just returning to their homes in Nembe local government area.
“The state government can borrow more to conduct the election but the there is a security threat, when the tempo calms down, we will conduct the local government election.”